The aged Gruyére and white cheddar mac and cheese at this New England-inspired seafood spot is given a coastal quality with crab and Old Bay. It’s topped with Sriracha biscuit crumbs and then baked. ($14)

Chef David Guas switches up his mac and cheese offering at Bayou and Lil’ B regularly to keep things interesting. Favorites include a New Orleans-style mac with crawfish and a veg-forward dish with fresh farmers market finds. ($7 at Bayou, $6 at Lil’ B)

The most popular mac at this pasta truck is the classic mac with duck confit. The aged sharp white cheddar sauce is spiked with smoked paprika and accompanied by herbed duck confit. Crushed Cheez-Its, yellow cheddar, and chives provide the finishing touch. ($11)

The name of the game at this shop is cheese, so they naturally have a decadent mac and cheese. The Mac ‘n Cheesetique combines Asiago, goat Gouda, and Cacio de Roma cheeses in the sauce, and it’s sprinkled with truffle bread crumbs. The pasta is also made into arancini balls for dipping into marinara sauce. ($12)

GCDC takes two of the greatest cheesy creations and combines them. The Carolina BBQ grilled cheese is stuffed with four cheddars, mac and cheese, BBQ pork, bacon, and jalapeños. They also offer an indulgent lobster mac with Parmesan cream sauce, cheddar, and garlic-Parm bread crumbs. Both are served during dinner only. ($14)

Thanks to Sticky Fingers, vegans don’t have to sit out on mac and cheese. This cheese-free version uses nutritional yeast, flour, seasoning, and spices to replicate the creamy goodness. ($3/cup, $5/bowl)

Instead of traditional macaroni pasta, Sixth Engine starts their mac and cheese with spaetzle made with quark. The noodles are pan-seared, mixed with Gruyére cheese sauce and caramelized onions, and topped with parsley and breadcrumbs. ($7/$12)

There may not be any pork in the mac and cheese at this pig-centric restaurant, but the rich dish stands on its own with aged Parmesan, Fontina, cheddar, Gruyére, and goat cheeses, plus cayenne, nutmeg, hot sauce, truffle oil, and herbed panko breadcrumbs. ($7/$8)

Bryan and Michael Voltaggio serve up a classic version of the homey steakhouse side at their family-inspired restaurant, with elbow pasta and cheddar in a small skillet. ($10)

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